How and Why to Start a Blog in 2023

HOW AND WHY TO START A BLOG IN 2023

At first thought, blogging may seem like a thing of the past. But believe it or not, blogging plays an intricate part in the marketing strategies of most successful businesses.

Blogging may have started as a hobby for many. But over the years, more and more business owners have discovered the benefits of having a company blog.

Blogs have evolved into platforms for gaining recognition and increasing leads for many businesses.

So what’s the best way to start a blog in 2023?

The Basics of Blogging

To understand the importance of blogging, you need to know how it works.

Companies create blogs for search engine optimization (SEO) of their website. SEO is a set of processes for getting organic website traffic from search results. It’s used to improve a website’s position in searches on Google and other search engines. More visibility means more leads and, potentially, more sales.

If you search “how to start a blog in 2023”, the first suggested websites that show up have the most efficient SEO for that topic. Different strategies are used for building SEO, and blogging plays a vital part.

What is a Business Blog and Why Start One

Most blogs can be separated into two categories— personal and business. We’ve all read a personal blog about an interesting topic or hobby. While a business blog can also cover these topics, it serves a different purpose. A business blog is a strong marketing foundation that establishes your company’s place in the industry.

Did you know businesses with blogs get 55% more website traffic than those without?

Almost every successful business has one — especially if it’s online. The audience of a business blog is a lot more personalized and purposely targeted based on keywords and perceived searching habits. Many marketers create buyer personas to effectively understand what their target audience is searching for and design their content to match specific keywords.

When considering the benefits of ranking on search engines, starting a company blog is the perfect strategy. It’s a relatively inexpensive way to gain organic customers. Increasing the number of people who know about your business will only help your business grow and become more successful. And that’s the reason you started a business, right?

5 Ways a Blog Can Help Your Business

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There are countless benefits to starting a company blog. We’ve narrowed it down to five that can help you better understand the advantages of business blogging.

1. Increase website traffic and SEO.

As mentioned before, one of the main reasons companies use business blogs is to rank on Google and other search engines through SEO.

Search engines calculate results based on new content, keywords, and the number of indexed pages a website has.

Having a relevant blog with quality content is essential to improve your rank.

Many tools are available to help you choose the best keywords to include in your blog posts.

Determining and using the right keywords for your industry helps indicate to search engines that your website has the answer to search queries. Keeping your blog updated with fresh content allows readers to find answers to their questions while discovering your brand at the same time.

2. Become an authority figure and build trust in your industry.

Business blogging is a great way to showcase your expertise and share value in your industry. Your business will be considered a leader in your industry if your content provides useful knowledge. The information you provide to readers can answer common questions, educate them on interesting topics or share insight on new products and ideas.

A blog can also help you grow your email list. As readers become familiar with your blog, they’ll be more likely to join email newsletters if they enjoy your content.

3. Expand your brand and share company news.

You can use your company blog to share business news and show a more intimate side of your business. Your existing customers will be happy to read content directly from a company they already know and love.

Is it your company’s 10th anniversary? Write a blog post about how you and your customers have grown over the past decade. Having a business blog helps customers feel like they can connect with you and build positive engagement with your brand.

4. Attract leads and new customers.

A company blog is essential to attract new leads and customers. Ranking on search engines allows people to find your business organically.

Have you ever searched a question on Google and come across a company you fell in love with? You likely clicked on a blog post they created to answer your question.

More often than not, a company’s blog content attracts curious readers, and as they search beyond the content, they begin to discover more about the brand. You may not buy something immediately, but you’ll likely know and remember who they are and keep them in mind for future shopping.

5. Repurpose content on social media.

Social media provides an easy way to share content across different generations. With a company blog, you can continuously create fresh content that can be used on various social media platforms. You can link blog content on social media and gain a broader reach when readers share and like your posts.

How to Get Started

Starting a company blog is relatively easy if you already have a business website, but deciding on your marketing strategy and what will work best for your business is most important.

Different factors will affect how you go about starting your blog. For example, the size of your company and your marketing budget will determine how much time and effort you and your employees have for blogging.

Start your blog with these simple steps:

● Figure out the topic of your blog. This will probably be the easiest part. Since your blog is about your business, the topics you choose should surround your industry and focus on the questions and interests of your existing customers and potential leads.
● Host, register, and design your blog. You can probably skip this step if you already have a company website. If you’re starting from scratch, several free and paid blogging websites are available where you can host, register, and design your blog. Depending on your marketing budget, you can also hire a professional to complete these steps.
● Determine your blog writer and manager. Choosing who will write and manage your content is an important decision. You’ll need consistent content pretty much weekly to gain SEO traction and rank on Google and other search engines. Writing your own content is always an option, but blogging can be very time-consuming, so you may want to hire a writing agency or freelance writer to create and manage your content.
● Figure out your content schedule. When it comes to ranking in search, consistency is key. Knowing when and what you’ll post will help keep you on track when starting your blog.
● Launch your blog. After you write and publish your first (of many) blog posts, you’ll have officially started your company blog.

Common Challenges

One of the most common challenges that arise when starting a blog is keeping it going.

Constantly coming up with new ideas and keywords on top of everything else it takes to run a business can be draining.

Creating quality content your customers want to read while building your SEO strategy, so your content is actually seen, is often difficult — even for businesses who’ve been blogging for years.

It's easy to get discouraged when first starting, as it takes months and sometimes years for new blogs to rank in search.

It’ll likely be difficult for potential customers to find your blog until it starts gaining traction in Google and other search engines.

Keeping Up With Content

Keeping up with content is the easiest way to address these challenges, yet also the most difficult. When it comes to SEO, content is king. Having a steady flow of quality content that is SEO-friendly with appropriate keywords will keep your blog under the radar of different search engines.

Experts agree that posting new content two to four times a week is the most effective to gain traction. When you factor in the average length of 1000 to 2500 words per blog post — that’s a lot of writing!

If you feel like keeping up with content will be difficult for you, there are a few ways to address this issue. It can be quite costly, but depending on your marketing budget, you can hire a full-time in-house writer to handle all your content needs. You can also hire a freelance writer, which is often more affordable, but you may still have to edit the content.

If you hire a writing agency, all blogging responsibilities are taken off your plate. A writing agency will handle everything to do with your blog, from creating content to managing your content calendar.

Most writing agencies are equipped with a team of experienced writers, editors, proofreaders, and digital marketing professionals who specialize in content creation and SEO strategy. You won’t have to worry about content while reaping all the benefits of having a company blog.

Final Thoughts

Starting a company blog is one of the best things you can do for your business in 2023. Blogging is an affordable way to enhance your marketing strategy and increase new leads and sales. You can use blogging to showcase your brand’s personality and help potential leads discover your business while connecting deeper with existing customers.

Content is vital for a successful company blog. As a business owner, you may not have the time to (or simply not want to) create and manage a blog. Deciding to hire a writing agency can help you build a successful blog without dealing with the responsibility and challenges.